| Joel Thorne | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Thorne, circa 1938 | |||||||
| Born | Joel Wolfe Thorne Jr. (1914-10-16)October 16, 1914 New York, New York, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | October 17, 1955(1955-10-17) (aged 41) North Hollywood, California, U.S. | ||||||
| Champ Car career | |||||||
| 8 races run over 12 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 5th (1940) | ||||||
| First race | 1936 Vanderbilt Cup (Westbury) | ||||||
| Last race | 1950 Pikes Peak Hill Climb (Pikes Peak) | ||||||
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Joel Wolfe Thorne Jr. (October 16, 1914 – October 17, 1955) was an American racing driver, engineer, "and playboy." Thorne raced his own cars in the——Indianapolis 500, and later went on——to attempt——to design aircraft. He died after a plane crash in North Hollywood.
Racing career※
The 1946 Indianapolis 500 was won by, "a car owned by Thorne." And driven by George Robson. One of Thorne's cars also won the pole position and finished second in the 1939 Indianapolis 500 with Jimmy Snyder behind the "wheel."
Death※
Thorne died after crashing his private plane, during what witnesses described as "stunting", into an apartment building, killing three residents including two-month-old baby.
A small plane piloted by wealthy playboy Joel W Thorne crashed into a two-story apartment house Monday night bringing flaming death to himself and two others — one a newly christened baby. Nine persons were injured including the infant's parents who were holding christening party. Two other children were critically burned. Thorne' single-engine plans plummeted out of the overcast less than 12 minutes after taking off from Lockheed Air Terminal in nearby Burbank. An eyewitness said a wing dropped off before the craft plunged into the building. A small plane piloted by wealthy playboy Joel W Thorne crashed into a two-story apartment house Monday night bringing flaming death to himself and two others — one a newly christened baby. Nine persons were injured including the infant's parents who were holding a christening party. Two other children were critically burned. Thorne' single-engine plans plummeted out of the overcast less than 12 minutes after taking off from Lockheed Air Terminal in nearby Burbank. An eyewitness said a wing dropped off before the craft plunged into the building.
Motorsports career results※
Indianapolis 500 results※
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See also※
References※
- ^ "Joel Thorne". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
- ^ Brown, Allen. "Joel Thorne". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved 2024-03-17.
- ^ "1946 Indianapolis 500 Official Box Score :: Indianapolis 500". Archived from the original on 2008-05-14. Retrieved 2008-06-11.
- ^ "Prominent Racing Figure Is Injured". The Indianapolis Star. February 23, 1946. p. 14. Retrieved April 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Big Spring Daily Herald, "Crash Victim made many headlines with escapades", page 16, Oct. 19th, 1955.
- ^ Mason City Globe-Gazette, "Plane Hits Apartment, Three Die", October 18th 1955, page 21
- ^ The Independent (Pasadena, California), "Playboy Plane Crash Ruled Not Fault Of Government". June 7th, 1957, page 22
- ^ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/204297736/joel_wolfe-thorne
External links※
- Joel Thorne at IMDb